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Make a Difference in Ramla
Your support will help create a brighter future for Ethipoian-Israelis in Ramla
The Challenge
15 km east of Tel Aviv lies the city of Ramla. The name Ramla derives from the Arabic word “raml”, which means “sand”, and refers to the sand dunes on which the city was built.
The city is home to around 67,000 inhabitants. It has a population of 3,648 Ethiopians, 442 of whom are between the age of 13 and 18 years old.
Criminality and a stigmatized city: an educational challenge
Ramla suffers from a negative image, financial problems and neglect. Even though the municipal tries to develop and beautify the city, it is still has a relatively high criminality rate. As one can understand, Ramla therefore doesn’t provide the safe environment that youth need. Besides, according to a research (Myers-JDC-Brookdale Institute, 2003) they still face educational challenges:
• Almost all of the children aged 4-13 attend school, but around 5% of the Ethiopian-Israeli between 14-17 years old do not attend any educational framework;
• 40% of families with school children lack at least some school textbooks;
• Of those families with very young children, 60% have no reading books at home;
• 60% of the Ethiopian-Israelis aged 6-13, and 42% of those aged 14-17, participate in after-school enrichment or educational programs.